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on 4.20.7 “having laid the blame upon himself. You see, I suppose, the weakness “of the Maurousii and the place where, deprived of all necessities, they have shut themselves up 4.20.8 “and are guarding themselves. But for you there is the necessity of one of two things: either, “not being at all burdened by the siege, to await the surrender “of the enemy, or, scorning this, 4.20.9 “to accept the victory that comes with danger. Rather, “even to fight against these barbarians will be without danger for us, “whom, since they are already battling with hunger, “I think will never even come to blows with us. All of which “at the present time, keeping these things in mind, it is fitting that you “carry out with zeal the orders given.” 4.20.10 Solomon, having exhorted them with these words, was considering from what point it would be better for them to make an attempt on the place, 4.20.11 and he seemed to be at a very great loss. For the difficult terrain seemed to him to be quite impregnable. But while Solomon was considering these things, fortune provided a certain way for the situation, 4.20.12 as follows. There was a certain Gezon among the foot-soldiers, an optio of the company in which he himself had been enrolled; for thus the Romans call the quartermaster of the units. 4.20.13 This Gezon, whether in jest or acting in anger, or perhaps some divine power moved him, climbed up alone, seeming to advance against the enemy, and a little way from him some of his fellow-soldiers were going, holding what was happening in great wonder. 4.20.14 But three of the Maurousii, who had been assigned to guard the entrance, suspecting that the man was advancing against them, came to meet him at a run. 4.20.15 And since they were in a narrow space, they did not advance 4.20.16 in formation, but each went separately. And Gezon, striking the first one he met, killed him, and in this way he also dispatched each of the 4.20.17 others. And seeing this, those following behind advanced against the 4.20.18 enemy with great noise and confusion. And when the whole Roman army heard and saw what was being done, neither waiting for the general to lead their march, nor for the trumpets to signal the engagement, as was customary, nor indeed even keeping their formation, but with a great din and urging one another on, 4.20.19 they ran towards the enemy's camp. There Rufinus and Leontius, the sons of Zaunas son of Pharesmanes, 4.20.20 displayed deeds worthy of valor against the enemy. At which the Maurousii, being panic-stricken, especially when they learned that their guards had been killed, immediately fled wherever each one could, and most of them, being caught in the difficult 4.20.21 terrain, were killed. And Iaudas himself, though struck in the thigh with a javelin, nevertheless escaped 4.20.22 and withdrew to the land of the Mauri. But the Romans, having plundered the enemy's camp, decided not to leave Aurasium any longer, but, after Solomon built forts there, to guard it, so that this mountain might not again be accessible to the Maurousii. 4.20.23 There is in Aurasium a steep rock rising up in the midst of cliffs; the natives call it the Rock of Geminianus; where indeed the men of old, having made a very small tower, built a refuge both strong and inaccessible, with the nature of the place assisting them. 4.20.24 There Iaudas happened to have deposited his treasures and his women a few days before, and had appointed one old Maurousian as guard of the 4.20.25 treasures. For he would never have suspected either that the enemy would arrive at this place or that they could ever take the tower 4.20.26 by force. But the Romans at that time, exploring the difficult parts of Aurasium, came there, and one of them with a laugh attempted to climb up to the tower; and the women were mocking, laughing at him for desiring 4.20.27 the impossible. And the old man, peering down from the tower, was also doing this; but the Roman soldier, when climbing with hands and feet he had gotten somewhere near, quietly drew his sword and leaped up with all his speed, and striking the old man on the neck, 4.20.28 he was strong enough to cut him completely through. And his head fell out onto the ground, and the soldiers, now taking courage and holding on to one another, into

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ἐφ' 4.20.7 «ἑαυτῷ τὴν αἰτίαν πεποιημένος. Μαυρουσίων μὲν τὴν «ἀσθένειαν ὁρᾶτε δήπου καὶ τὸ χωρίον, οὗ δὴ πάντων «ἀπολελειμμένοι τῶν ἀναγκαίων καθείρξαντες αὑτοὺς 4.20.8 «τηροῦσιν. ὑμᾶς δὲ δυοῖν ἀνάγκη τὸ ἕτερον, ἢ τῇ «προσεδρείᾳ μηδαμῶς ἀχθομένους τὴν τῶν πολεμίων «ὁμολογίαν προσδέχεσθαι, ἢ πρὸς ταύτην ὀλιγωροῦντας 4.20.9 «τὴν μετὰ τοῦ κινδύνου προσίεσθαι νίκην. μᾶλλον «δὲ καὶ τὸ πολεμεῖν πρὸς τούσδε ἡμῖν τοὺς βαρβάρους «ἀκίνδυνον ἔσται, οὓς δὴ τῷ λιμῷ μαχομένους ἤδη «οὔποτε ἡμῖν οὐδὲ εἰς χεῖρας ἀφίξεσθαι οἶμαι. ἅπερ «ἐν τῷ παρόντι ὑμᾶς ἐν νῷ ἔχοντας ἅπαντα προσήκει «προθύμως τὰ παραγγελλόμενα ἐκτελεῖν.» 4.20.10 Τοσαῦτα Σολόμων παρακελευσάμενος διεσκοπεῖτο ὅθεν ἂν σφίσι τοῦ χωρίου πειράσασθαι ἄμεινον εἴη, 4.20.11 ἀπορουμένῳ τε ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐῴκει. λίαν γάρ οἱ ἄμαχός τις ἡ δυσχωρία ἐφαίνετο. ἐν ᾧ δὲ Σολόμων ταῦτα ἐν νῷ ἐποιεῖτο, ἡ τύχη ὁδόν τινα τοῖς πράγμα4.20.12 σιν ἐπορίσατο τήνδε. Γέζων ἦν τις ἐν τοῖς στρατιώταις πεζὸς, τοῦ καταλόγου ὀπτίων, εἰς ὃν αὐτὸς ἀνεγέγραπτο· οὕτω γὰρ τὸν τῶν συντάξεων χορηγὸν καλοῦσι 4.20.13 Ῥωμαῖοι. οὗτος ὁ Γέζων, εἴτε παίζων εἴτε θυμῷ χρώμενος, ἢ καί τι αὐτὸν θεῖον ἐκίνησεν, ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἰέναι δοκῶν ἀνέβαινε μόνος καὶ αὐτοῦ μικρὸν ἄποθεν τῶν τινες ξυστρατιωτῶν ᾔεσαν, ἐν θαύματι 4.20.14 πολλῷ ποιούμενοι τὰ γινόμενα. ὑποτοπήσαντες δὲ Μαυρουσίων τρεῖς, οἳ ἐς τὸ φυλάσσειν τὴν εἴσοδον ἐτετάχατο, ἐπὶ σφᾶς ἰέναι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀπήντων 4.20.15 δρόμῳ. ἅτε δὲ ἐν στενοχωρίᾳ οὐ ξυντεταγμένοι ἐβά4.20.16 διζον, ἀλλὰ χωρὶς ἕκαστος ᾔει. παίσας δὲ τὸν πρῶτόν οἱ ἐντυχόντα ὁ Γέζων ἔκτεινεν, οὕτω δὲ καὶ τῶν 4.20.17 ἄλλων ἑκάτερον διειργάσατο. ὃ δὴ κατιδόντες οἱ ὄπισθεν ἰόντες πολλῷ θορύβῳ τε καὶ ταραχῇ ἐπὶ τοὺς 4.20.18 πολεμίους ἐχώρουν. ὡς δὲ τὰ δρώμενα ἤκουσέ τε καὶ εἶδεν ἡ Ῥωμαίων στρατιὰ ξύμπασα, οὔτε τὸν στρατηγὸν ἀναμείναντες τῆς πορείας σφίσιν ἡγήσασθαι οὔτε τὰς σάλπιγγας τὴν ξυμβολὴν σημῆναι, καθάπερ εἴθιστο, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τὴν τάξιν φυλάσσοντες, ἀλλὰ πατάγῳ τε πολλῷ χρώμενοι καὶ ἀλλήλοις ἐγκελευόμενοι 4.20.19 ἔθεον ἐπὶ τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδον. ἐνταῦθα Ῥουφῖνός τε καὶ Λεόντιος, οἱ Ζαύνα τοῦ Φαρεσμάνου, 4.20.20 ἔργα ἐπεδείξαντο ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους ἀρετῆς ἄξια. οἷς δὴ οἱ Μαυρούσιοι καταπεπληγμένοι, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοὺς φύλακας σφῶν ἀνῃρῆσθαι ἔμαθον, αὐτίκα ἐς φυγὴν ὅπη ἕκαστος ἐδύνατο ᾔεσαν, καὶ αὐτῶν οἱ πλεῖστοι ἐν 4.20.21 ταῖς δυσχωρίαις καταλαμβανόμενοι ἔθνησκον. Ἰαύδας τε αὐτὸς ἀκοντίῳ πληγεὶς τὸν μηρὸν ὅμως διέφυγέ τε 4.20.22 καὶ ἐς Μαυριτανοὺς ἀπεχώρησε. Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ διαρπάσαντες τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδον οὐκέτι τὸ Αὐράσιον ἐκλείπειν ἔγνωσαν, ἀλλὰ Σολόμωνος ἐνταῦθα φρούρια οἰκοδομησαμένου φυλάσσειν, ὅπως μὴ αὖθις τοῦτο δὴ τὸ ὄρος Μαυρουσίοις ἐσβατὸν ἔσται. 4.20.23 Ἔστι δέ τις ἐν Αὐρασίῳ πέτρα ἀπότομος κρημνῶν ἐς μέσον ἀνέχουσα· πέτραν αὐτὴν Γεμινιανοῦ καλοῦσιν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι· οὗ δὴ πύργον οἱ πάλαι ἄνθρωποι βραχὺν κομιδῆ ποιησάμενοι καταφυγήν τινα ἰσχυράν τε καὶ ἀμήχανον τῆς τοῦ χωρίου φύσεως σφίσι ξυλλαμβανού4.20.24 σης ἐδείμαντο. ἐνταῦθα ἐτύγχανεν Ἰαύδας τά τε χρήματα καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἡμέραις πρότερον ὀλίγαις ἐναποθέμενος, ἕνα τε γέροντα Μαυρούσιον φύλακα τῶν 4.20.25 χρημάτων καταστησάμενος. οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτε ὑπετόπασεν οὔτε τοὺς πολεμίους ἐς τόνδε τὸν χῶρον ἀφίξεσθαι οὔτ' ἂν βίᾳ ἐς τὸν ἅπαντα αἰῶνα τὸν πύργον 4.20.26 ἑλεῖν. ἀλλὰ Ῥωμαῖοι τότε τοῦ Αὐρασίου τὰς δυσχωρίας διερευνώμενοι ἐνταῦθα ἧκον, καὶ αὐτῶν τις ἀναβαίνειν εἰς τὸν πύργον ξὺν γέλωτι ἐνεχείρησεν· αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες ἐτώθαζον, ἅτε δὴ τῶν ἀμηχάνων ἐφιεμένου 4.20.27 καταγελῶσαι. τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ πρεσβύτης ἀπὸ τοῦ πύργου διακύψας ἐποίει· ὁ δὲ Ῥωμαῖος στρατιώτης ἐπειδὴ χερσί τε καὶ ποσὶν ἀναβαίνων ἐγγύς που ἐγεγόνει, σπασάμενος ἡσυχῆ τὸ ξίφος ἐξήλατό τε ὡς εἶχε τάχους καὶ τοῦ γέροντος εἰς τὸν αὐχένα ἐπιτυχὼν παίει, 4.20.28 τεμεῖν τε αὐτὸν διαμπὰξ ἴσχυσεν. ἥ τε κεφαλὴ ἐξέπεσεν εἰς τὸ ἔδαφος, καὶ οἱ στρατιῶται θαρσοῦντες ἤδη καὶ ἀλλήλων ἐχόμενοι εἰς